Falstaff Family Centre hosting Truth and Reconciliation Week events

Photo from last year shows Patsy Day, Indigious leader at the 2024 Sunrise Ceremony

The Falstaff Family Centre (FFC) will host its fourth annual Truth and Reconciliation Week this September, offering exhibits, ceremonies and film screenings leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

The week-long program is designed to build awareness of the impacts of colonialism and residential schools while encouraging inclusivity and understanding.

From Sept. 22 to 26, and again Sept. 29 and 30, the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s exhibit We Were So Far Away will be on display in the FFC community room from noon to 6 p.m.

During exhibit hours, Orange shirts will be available for purchase from Winona Sands of Howling Moon Aboriginal Arts, a member of Walpole Island First Nation. Visitors will also see a Stratford Perth Museum micro-exhibit featuring more than 10,000 years of archaeological evidence of Indigenous settlement along the Avon River, along with a collection of regional artifacts. A short Parks Canada film, The Legacy of the Residential School System: An Event of National Historic Significance, will play on a continuous loop.

On Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, activities begin at 7:30 a.m. with a sunrise ceremony and Indigenous teachings led by Oneida First Nation elder Patsy Day, Turtle Clan. In the evening, FFC owner and director Loreena McKennitt will lead a solidarity walk around the river, starting at the tipi at 6 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the centre will screen the National Film Board documentary Birth of a Family, which follows four siblings separated during the Sixties Scoop as they reunite decades later. Knowledge carrier Christin Dennis Gzhiiquot (Fast Moving Cloud) of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, himself a survivor, will share his story following the film.

Private group viewings of the Legacy of Hope exhibit and the NFB film can be arranged by contacting the centre.

Daily online “Lunch and Learn” webinars will also be offered at 1 p.m. throughout the week by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The 50-minute sessions feature panel discussions and are described as “an immersive experience to unlearn the myths of colonial history in Canada.”

“The Falstaff Family Centre is grateful for the opportunity to lean into the Calls to Action set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” McKennitt said. “As reconciliation has evolved, albeit slowly, we have been privileged to deepen our insights into our collective humanity through Indigenous world views. My hope is that Stratford-Perth citizens will join us for these events and continue this work throughout the year.”

For more information, contact the Falstaff Family Centre at info@falstaff.ca or 519-273-3876.